Classic
cut it, slide it, play it
- How
- Cut off the slider strip and slide it along the fixed strip.
- Build
- About 5 minutes
- Best for
- Quickest to make; no folding
Slide-a-Key
Musical Transposer
cut it, slide it, play it in any key
Watch the notes line up
Pick the key your song is in and the key you want. Or grab the top strip and slide it, or turn the wheel.
SLIDER: the key you want · drag me
FIXED STRIP: the key you're in
OUTER RING: the key you're in
INNER RING: the key you want · drag me
Pick your edition
Three ways to build the same idea. Each is one printable page, so pick by the time and materials you have.
Tent
cut it, fold it, slide it
- How
- Fold the slider over the top edge of the page so it hooks on and runs along it.
- Build
- About 10 minutes
- Best for
- Staying lined up while you work
Pocket
cut it, spin it, play it
- How
- A spinning disk on a base card, joined at the centre with a brass paper fastener.
- Build
- About 15 minutes
- Best for
- Carrying in a guitar case
Making one
You'll need
- A printer
- Scissors, or a craft knife and ruler. A clean, straight cut matters most for the Tent Edition.
- Pocket Edition only: a brass paper fastener (split pin)
- Optional: cardstock, to make it sturdier
Print at 100%
Not "fit to page." The note boxes have to stay the same size so the strips and rings line up. On the Classic and Tent sheets, one full note strip measures exactly 7 inches.
The assembly steps are printed on each sheet. Once it's built, try C up to F: C becomes F, E becomes A, and G becomes C. It works for chords too: Am becomes Dm, and G7 becomes C7. Use it for a while and you may start to notice a pattern or two.
For teachers
Slide-a-Key makes the structure of transposition visible. The strips show that transposing is a fixed distance; the wheel shows that the twelve notes form a loop. Students can find both patterns with their hands before anyone names them.
They make it
Cutting, folding and fastening turn a worksheet into an object. The first time the notes line up, it's their own tool that worked.
They discover it
Hold back the explanation. A student who notices every note moved five boxes has found the idea of an interval for themselves.
They keep it
Let students sign it, colour in the sharps and keep it in an instrument case. A tool they reach for next week keeps teaching.
The teacher's guide has a 45-minute lesson, six discovery questions with answers, and ideas for transposing instruments, capos and singing range.
Free to print and share
Print it, photocopy it for your students or band, and pass it on. Please don't sell it. Slide-a-Key is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0. Full terms.
It all started as two rows of notes on the back of an envelope, written to demonstrate how to transpose a few chords.
The tip jar is opening soon. If Slide-a-Key earns its keep, a loonie is plenty; a toonie is splendid.